We have reached the season in which many residents are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, or to spend time with family and friends. As we approach the end of the year, it is also a time of reflection.
We started 2022 hopeful that we were going to be finally able to put the COVID isolation requirements behind us, while knowing we had much to do to recover from the pandemic, but the year had barely begun when we were once again shocked by the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
As a county we opened our hearts and our homes to those affected by this dreadful event, with many people displaced by the invasion joining family or hosts across the county as part of a welcome that has also been extended to others, in particular from Afghanistan and Syria. For those of you who have sought refuge in our county or are part of the wider support networks I would like to send my special best wishes.
This major world event has contributed to other key issues facing the country, and while it is sometimes difficult to see past the cost of living and energy crises – Cambridgeshire County Council is resolute in its desire to improve people’s lives and support our residents through the difficult times ahead.
Another major event 2022 was the sad loss of HM Queen Elizabeth II – the only monarch most of us have ever known. Again, the county responded magnificently, with tributes led by our Lord Lieutenant Julie Spence and other civic leaders, and by residents with many hundreds of messages left virtually or in person in condolence books across the county. I am sure I am not the only person to be keen to view the King’s Speech on Christmas Day – featuring HRH King Charles III and not Colin Firth!
A New Year is a time of hope though, and as we learned during the pandemic – the difficult times that we are currently experiencing are an opportunity to reinforce the strength of our communities, working together to support each other through the current crisis, and whatever unexpected challenges 2023 brings.
I would like to wish you and your families, friends, and communities a joyful Christmas and a hopeful New Year.
Cllr Stephen Ferguson - Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council.
